1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a manipulating device with a suction gripper for gripping of workpieces by way of negative pressure, where means for generating or feeding of a negative pressure, as well as at least one valve, are disposed in a casing connected to the suction gripper, and where the suction gripper can be subjected to the negative pressure based on these means, as well as a method for the manipulation and testing of components passed by fluids, where the component is gripped with a suction gripper based on negative pressure.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
A handling device as well as a method of the kind recited above are known in the manipulating technology.
Workpieces or components are gripped, and moved and/or manipulated by way of grippers according to the manipulating technology, where the grippers are disposed at so-called linear shafts or rotary shafts. It is possible in this manner that the workpieces or components are transported from one first defined point to a second defined point and at the same time possibly also oriented by rotation or the like. Furthermore, it is possible, for example, to bring different components together for the assembly of workpieces and then to connect the components in that, for example, screws are screwed into corresponding threaded boreholes, in that components of a workpiece are plugged together, or in that electrical or electronical components, respectively, are inserted with their connectors in prepared boreholes of a printed circuit board.
It is known in this context that, for the gripping of workpieces or components, some are to be gripped by providing a force-matching connection or a shape-matching connection. In special application cases, in particular where larger workpieces or components with flat and smooth surfaces are present, it is further known to employ a suction gripper for the gripping of the workpieces. In this context, a suction gripper is considered to be a component, shaped like a calotte shell and made of rubber or an elastic synthetic material, disposed at an end of an arm. Said component is placed like a sucker on the smooth and flat surface of the workpiece or of the device component in order to allow an evacuation of the inner chamber of the sucker via a negative pressure conduit. The workpiece or the component is retained in this manner by way of negative pressure and it can be transported and/or rotated. If the workpiece or the device component is to be released, then either the negative pressure under the suction gripper is replaced by ambient pressure or an overpressure is even fed under the suction gripper for a short time to achieve an accelerated release.
In known manipulating devices, the suction grippers have large volumes and are consequently unsuitable for the manipulation of smaller workpieces and components, in particular in cases where further aggregates are disposed in the immediate proximity of the manipulating device. Known manipulating devices are limited in their functioning to transport, to orient, or to assemble the workpieces or device components in the recited manner.